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What is Behavioral Activation?

January 16, 2014

Losing interest in activities, withdrawal from family and friends, and sadness can be part of the daily struggle when fighting severe depression or other mood disorders. Behavioral activation – a major component of treatment in a new residential program at Rogers — addresses these struggles.

Building on Rogers’s foundation of evidence-based care through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), on February 10, Rogers opens FOCUS, a residential program for young adults with depression and other mood disorders. For these patients experiencing a difficult transition to adulthood, behavioral activation is one key building block toward recovery.

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Changes in DSM-5 Benefit Children and Adolescents

January 2, 2014

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, commonly referred to as DSM-5, helps clinicians diagnose mental disorders that aren’t as easily identified by symptoms like many other health conditions, e.g., a broken arm or case of pneumonia. Plus, the new manual offers greater insight into many of these disorders.

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What is DSM-5?

December 16, 2013

Believe it or not, the first attempt to gather information about mental health was done to collect statistical information for the 1840 census. In fact, it was these early census recordings that distinguished early categories of mental health. It was not until post-World War II that the first edition of the DSM or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was published. It was then this clinical and diagnostic tool, published by the American Psychiatric Association, provided description and diagnostic categories for clinicians working with mental disorders. Today, the DSM is still considered the authoritative guide by behavioral health professionals throughout the country, providing the common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.

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Does My Child Have OCD? When to Seek Help

December 13, 2013

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions or compulsions leading to distress, thereby interfering with overall functioning. Although a diagnosis of OCD only requires the presence of obsessions or compulsions, the majority of children usually experience both. OCD can appear any time between preschool and adulthood, but most commonly surfaces between ages 8 and 12 or between the late teens and adulthood. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 200 children and adolescents has OCD.

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Lock Your Medicine Cabinet: A Step Toward Reducing Prescription Abuse

September 26, 2013

As parents, friends and family members, we’re consistently reminded to keep our medications out of sight and reach. For many, the assumption is that this step is meant to keep small children safe. In reality, however, young children are not the only ones in danger—adolescents and adults are also at risk, as they have access to unsupervised medicine cabinets. In fact, reports indicate that thousands of teens use a prescription drug intended for someone else every day.

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Co-occurring Disorders in Addiction

September 20, 2013

Addiction and mental illness: a circular relationship where one often feeds the other. There are cravings, obsessions and addictions that initially seem to solve issues with self-esteem, body image, family or work problems. Studies show that nearly one-third of alcohol abusers and one-half of drug abusers also battle a mental illness. This makes it difficult to determine if the addiction half of the relationship occurred before, or as a consequence of, the disease.

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The Child Center’s Parent University

July 17, 2013

Making the decision to send a child or teen to a residential treatment facility is often difficult for families. Programs like the Child Center’s Parent University keep a family involved in treatment, helping families ensure a successful transition back home and reinforcing treatment and recovery needs.

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PTSD Awareness: When Acute Stress Disorder Becomes More

June 11, 2013

When a traumatic event occurs in someone’s life, it is expected for them to react with acute stress or even shock. It’s when the acute stress symptoms persist that it may be more than a healthy reaction. An acute stress reaction is a psychological response one goes through after experiencing some sort of trauma; it is the minds way of coping with feelings of intense helplessness. This becomes “Acute Stress Disorder,” if the reaction persists for over two days, but diminishes after about a month. Initially, the victim will experience confusion and a state of disorientation with an inability to comprehend what is going on around them. This is followed by either complete withdrawal from the situation or agitated, anxious responses and depression. The reaction begins within minutes of the event and typically disappears within hours to 2-3 days. If not, this is when acute stress becomes a disorder.

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Disordered Eating VS Eating Disorders

May 9, 2013

Often times when people hear the term “disordered eating,” they assume it’s another way of saying one has an eating disorder. However, these terms are not interchangeable. With an eating disorder, food intake and weight issues consume your thoughts and actions making it nearly impossible to focus on anything else; it is a mental illness. Eating disorders often cause multiple, serious physical problems and, in severe cases, can become life threatening.

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Mental Health Month: Mental Wellness is as important as Physical Wellness

May 2, 2013

Mental Health affects everyone; mental health issues affect about 80% of people in one way or another. Chances are you know someone who is or has dealt with mental illness and recovery, or know of someone who is going through the process of dealing with some sort of anxiety, depression, addiction or eating disorder.

This year Mental Health America has made their theme Pathways to Wellness, which sheds light on key points that we at Rogers Memorial Hospital would like to pass along.

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